*as another suspected PH-based alleged Ibeto agent brings rights suit,
to delay progress?
From Chuks Collins, Awka
A Portharcourt, Rivers State High Court has adjourned to May 11,2022
for the continuation of the suit seeking the enforcement of the
fundamental rights encroachment suit brought by an Nnewi, Anambra High
chief, Dr Cletus Ibeto against the Economic and Financial crimes
Commission(EFCC) over his invitation for ordinary interrogation and to
answer certain questions over his alleged defrauding of another
Anambra born High chief, Dr Daniel Chukwudozie(aka Dozzy) a very
distinguished business guru and industrialist, and the forging of
Rivers State documents relating to a property transaction.
The transaction involving about 20 hectares of land situate at
Portharcourt, Rivers State, at the consideration of above Four Billion
Naira(N4Bn), and documents of which were allegedly found to be forged
and a sham.
The EFCC had in the course of investigation over a petition by Dr
Chukwudozie(Dozzy) on the suspected fraud and to compel Dr Ibeto to
refund his hard earned money had invited him(Ibeto) for interrogation
and questioning. But in a twist Ibeto instead ran to court seeking the
enforcement of his fundamental rights.
At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday at Rivers State High
Court 4, presided over by Hon Justice D.G. Diepiri, another suspect
–Hon Prince Chioma Chinwo who was arrested and later released in the
course of the EFCC investigation also brought another suit seeking the
courts order for protection of his fundamental human rights from being
infringed upon.
Chinwo’s name was alleged to have came up as the go-between for Ibeto
and Lands office/documents for Ibeto, hence the interest of EFCC in
him.
It was also discovered that while the substantive suit is kept pending
over these ancillary suits, a monthly bank interest of about 200
Million Naira is pilling on the fund being paid by Dozzy to the bank
since 2017 and is in the excess of 6 Billion Naira to date.
More so, Dozzy had planned to develop the 20 hectares he was made to
believe Ibeto had and wanted to sell to him even above reigning market
price then, that he went and bought equipment and machinery needed to
start work and other necessary things on the site. These equipment are
worth billions and are decaying at an alarming rate due to lack of
use.
It was during his interrogation, that Ibeto claimed he was manhandled.
But nobody touched or detained him or held him at any point in time as
he was allowed to leave the EFCC HQ after 6 hours of discussion on the
grounds that he would bring his own documents to the EFCC to conclude
their investigations within 2 weeks.
Ibeto had asked the EFCC to give him 6 months to get the documents to
the land but the EFCC declined, saying that it doesn’t make sense that
it will take 6 months to produce documents to show that he owns the
land.
It was immediately Ibeto left EFCC Headquarters in Abuja, that he flew
to Port Harcourt and file a case of human rights abuse and also
seeking court order to stop the EFCC from investigating into the
matter of his issue with Dozzy
